Broom ball is continually increasing in popularity. Factors related to the increase in popularity of broom ball include the building of ice rinks in more temperate regions, a societal move towards more health conscious activities and the growth of skating activities in general such as in-line skating and the like. In the state of Minnesota, for example, there are over 30,000 registered broom ball players.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1B, front and side longitudinal views of a conventional broom ball stick 10 are respectively shown. Stick 10 consists of a shaft 12, often formed of aluminum, a wooden insert 14 and a rubberized head 16 which is formed about insert 14 and the base of shaft 12. The insert often extends into the shaft and the shaft normally extends about an inch into the head. The insert may be secured to the shaft with glue and possibly a bolt 18.
Insert 14 provides structural reinforcement of the head and gives a player better control of movement of the head. The insert is usually made of wood because wood can be readily machined to provide the necessary taper from the circular base of shaft 12 to the bottom edge of the head (shown in FIG. 1B).
A disadvantageous aspect of this configuration, however, is that these sticks tend to break where the wood insert enters the shaft. This break line is labeled A--A in FIGS. 1A-1B. The break line region of the stick receives maximum force during a slap shot or brace, etc. Another disadvantageous aspect of prior art broom ball sticks is that the aluminum shaft that is commonly used is insufficiently strong to withstand forces related to the game, such as a player falling on the stick and the like, and thus tends to bend too readily.